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Planting Seeds Theme for Preschool
There are so many seeds and items to grow in the classroom!
This Planting Seeds Theme page is filled with preschool activities and ideas for all areas of your classroom.
Let the Theme planning begin!
You can either scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your theme.
Or you can click the link below to go to specific preschool activity types you are looking for.
Planting Seeds Theme Art Ideas
Holding Seeds Art
Materials Needed: paper, crayon, scissors, tissue paper or seeds, glue
The children trace their hands and cut out.
They then glue rolled up pieces of tissue paper or actual seeds into their "hands". This is a follow up to The Tiny Seed story.
Seed Mosaic
Materials Needed: Clear contact paper, marker, seeds
Draw flowers on the clear contact. Let the children draw their own flowers!
Remove the backing. Children they use seeds to decorate the flowers.
Extension: Let the children create their own art work by placing the seeds where they want for a very creative design! They can place them on the contact paper or glue them onto paper!
Planting Seeds Theme Block Ideas
Moving What Grows
Materials: Provide hollow blocks (or other blocks) and small, plastic wheelbarrows for the children to move their plants (blocks) to the shelves. Explain what wheelbarrows are used for during planting or gardening.
Planting Seeds Theme Circle Time Ideas
Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your theme!
One Little Daffodil
In advance, make 5 daffodils from paper, laminate and place velcro or a piece of a dryer sheet on the back so that it sticks on your flannel board.
Teach this fingerplay to the children while using the flannel board pieces:
One little daffodil had nothing to do
Up popped another one and then there were two.
Two little daffodils smiling at a bee
Another popped up and then there were three
Three little daffodils were growing by a door
Up popped another one and then there were four.
Four little daffodils happy to be alive
Up popped another one and then there were five.
Five little daffodils wearing golden crowns
They danced in the breeze wearing green satin gowns!
EXTENSION: Pause before saying each number for the children to have time to count and recall the next number. Ex: then there were........right! 3!
EXTENSION: Bring actual daffodils to school and place them in your science area. The children can explore them while recalling this poem!
The Carrot Seed
Materials: In advance, make flannel pieces to go along with this book. You'll need a little boy, mother, father, brother, a tiny seed, a carrot top, a wheelbarrow a watering can and a huge carrot.
Use these materials while telling the story.
VARIATION: Give each child one flannel piece to add to the board as you read it. You may need to read the story twice this day so that each child has a turn!
Once Upon A Time....
Write a cooperative story. After discussing what seeds need to grow, start a story with them. Tell them they are going to help make up a story about a seed!
Start with "Once upon a time, some preschool children wanted to begin planting seeds. One day, Maria ________(fill in the blank from this child). Then, Cheryl thought she should ___________, etc. If the children seem to get off track, that will happen! However, give reminders as needed such as:
"So, our seed was dug up by the turtle and the bird took the turtle and the seed in the air. What happened next?" Then go on to ask the next child.
These stories are SO much fun to read back to them each day! And to photo copy and send home with them for their families to enjoy!
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Just tell me where to send your goodies below!Snack Recipe Ideas for Your Planting Seeds Theme!
Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific theme related questions while making these fun snacks!
Pear Tasting
If you have read From Seed to Pear for this planting seeds theme, have a pear tasting party!
Ingredients and Items Needed: Yellow and green pears, knife, chart for recording the children's likes/dislikes.
For the chart, draw 3 columns. Draw a picture of the yellow pear on top of the second column and a picture of the green pear on the top of the third column.
List each child's name in the first column.
As each child tries a piece of each pear, write the words yes or now under each pear based on if they liked it or not.
These charts can be set up in many ways. You could also write each child's name on two pieces of paper. On the chart, the children place their name under the pear only if they like it.
Planting Seeds Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area
Gardeners
Provide hats, gardening gloves, aprons and plastic planting tools (such as pails, shovels, hoes, watering cans); artificial grass and moss; bandannas; overalls to dress up in, for the children to plant in dramatic play!
Planting Seeds Theme Ideas for Your Easel
Paint While Planting Seeds!
Materials Needed: Mix some small seeds (like marigold or other small and thin seeds) into the paint for a different texture!
Planting Seeds Theme Large Group Games To Help Your Preschoolers Build Their Muscles While Having Fun Together
Seed, Seed, GROW!
Do your children like the Duck, Duck, Goose game? Replace the words with Seed, Seed, Grow to compliment your theme!
Planting Seeds Theme Book Suggestions for Your Library
(I LOVE Amazon, and some of the links below will take you to the Amazon website. If you do choose to purchase yours through Amazon, they do send me a few cents--which supports my coffee habit! )
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Dinofours: My Seeds Won't Grow! by Steve Metzger
From Seed to Pear by Ali Mitgutsch
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
I Really Wonder What Plant I'm Growing by Lauren Child
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehhlert
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Planting Seeds Math Activities to Help Your Preschoolers Develop Their Math Skills AND the Small Muscles in Their Hands!
Package Sorting
Materials Needed: Save the seed packets that you used for the seed activities in this unit.
Laminate them (be sure to have 2 of each type).
Place them out for the children to match. Use as a memory or concentration type game as well!
Planting Seeds Theme Music & Movement Ideas to Get Your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!
Here We GROW
Have the children squat down and pretend they are little seeds. Play some calming music. As you turn the volume up slowly on the CD player, describe what is happening to "them"--the seeds. They should try to act this out!
The seeds are in the ground nice and warm.
It is raining and they are getting a drink.
The sun is warming them and help them grow!
The seed is opening and roots are coming out!
It is raining again! There's the sun! Oooh, the plants are coming out of the ground!
Planting Seeds Theme Ideas for Your Sand and Water Table
Potting Soil and Seeds
Add potting soil and lots of seeds to your sensory table for your students to explore. At the end of the week, transfer the soil and seed mix to another bin and water.
Place this in your science table for your children to care for and watch the seeds grow!
Planting Seeds Theme Science Activities
For Your Preschool Scientists in Training!Planting Bean Seeds
Materials: Ziploc baggies, paper towels, spray water bottle, Lima beans, markers.
Children spray their paper towels with water.
They place 3 Lima beans in the middle of their paper towel.
Help them to fold the paper towel over the beans.
They place that into a Ziploc baggie.
Write their name with marker on the outside of the baggie.
Tape baggies to a sunny window and watch them for a week or two until they sprout!
NOTE: Once you open the baggies, they will smell terrible! Be prepared!
How do Roots Work?
Although this is an experiment that you may be bored with, remember that your children have never seen it before!
Materials: Celery stalks (preferably ones with greens on the tops), two tall, clear glasses of water; food coloring
Place a different color of food coloring in each cup of water.
Place one celery stalk in each cup, with the greens at the top.
Watch and discuss daily.
The children learn how root systems "drink" water from the bottom and bring it to the top.
NOTE: We used blue and red food coloring. The interesting thing was that after a couple of weeks, the blue one still looked blue and okay, but the red one actually began wilting and turning brown...I guess there is something to that whole fear of red dye...it was proven to us with this experiment!
Writing Activity Ideas for Your Planting Seeds Theme
Invisible seeds
Provide the children with a piece of white construction paper and a white crayon. Encourage them to draw different sized seeds and what their seeds will grow.
Have the children paint over their picture with watered down brown tempura paint. It will not stick to their crayon drawings.
VARIATION: Have the children print their name or other letters you may be working on with them. If the white on white is too frustrating for them, provide a color they can see to use on the white paper. It will still amaze the kids that the paint won't stick to their letters!
Other Pages You May Be Interested In:
Go to MAIN THEMES Page for more theme ideas!
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Hey there! Welcome to Preschool Plan It! I’m Cheryl, a preschool teacher of over 20 years.
I KNOW, I know, you spend hours of time developing your preschool themes, activities and preschool lesson plans each week. You are commited to planning preschool themes and activities that are engaging hands-on, interactive, fun AND meet the goal of supporting each child’s level of growth and development.
I am commited to providing you, the preschool teacher, with everything you need to develop preschool lesson plans and preschool activities for your classroom all in one place!
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